When I was researching different food cultures and traditions, I knew I needed to include some dishes from the Middle East. So, I emailed my friend Mike and asked if he would volunteer is mom for my Nonna project. I knew Mike grew up as a first generation kid like me so it would be perfect. I soon received a call from his wonderful mom Irene Sankari. She was happy to help and came up with a number of dishes we could make together.

Irene came to the US from Beirut, Lebanon at the age of seven with her parents and settled in Buffalo, New York. We did a lot of cooking in Irene’s beautiful Long Island home so I want to share the recipes here in Nonna’s Kitchen. This recipe is for a lovely appetizer called Sambousek. Sambousek is a Lebanese pastry filled with meat or cheese. Many come fried but Irene bakes hers and they are delicious. I love how easy they are to make and how you can freeze them and pop them in the oven whenever you have some last minute guests.